Buy a 3 pack of bottles. Buy a few packages of cloth diapers. A baby rattle for each one, a pacifier, and maybe a bib.

Take one bottle, fold a single cloth diaper to the height of the bottle and wrap it around, securing either with a diaper pin or a straight pin. Do this a few times until it is full looking. Tie a ribbon around the pacifier and pin it on. Same with the rattle or any other small baby trinket (bows if it's a girl, etc)

Put some lace around the bottom and you have a diaper cake!

If you really want bonus points, include a small gift for mommy. Go to the dollar store, pick up some bubble bath, bath salts, lotion, aloe socks, candle, etc and give mommy to be a gift for her to relax and unwind in the last few weeks.

The mommy gift was given to me when I was pregnant with my first and I loved it so much that I've given one for every shower I've attended since and all I here is, "wow, wish I had thought of that!" As well as praise and gratefulness from the mommy.

Baby showers ARE about getting ready for baby but every mom I know, ESPECIALLY if it is her first, is quite happy to get a gift just for her as she is nervous, and generally uncomfortable at that point in the pregnancy.

Anne, any baby showers I've been to recently I've found the Mom has registered 'wants', making the shopping easy. I have NOT been invited to three at once ;-)

But when my niece had her first baby on the other side of the country, premature and in urgent need of preemie clothes, the only place in town (it was snowing so a drive not reasonable) I could find them was Walmart, made by Carters. I think I spent something like $60 on a box of tiny clothing to mail including the little caps premature babies need for heat retention (December). I'll bet you could find something cute and practical in the Carters regular sized baby line someplace that would make a nice wrapped gift and not spend more than $20 including a gift bag or wrap.

Places like Ross for Less and Marshall's have cute Carter things for under 10.00 an outfit. So do Target and Walmart.

If you can find them, the moms I've given them to love side snap shirts. Some never heard of them since we no longer have the old style infant layette lists but they love them during those first months.

Cloth diapers today are expensive. The cloth diaper used today is nothing like what we would have used. I haven't seen a baby in a white cloth diaper in years where I live. Many breast feeding moms don't use bottles or pacifiers.

Children's books are nice. My first word, color, number book etc.

People focus on the cutsie stuff but really things for later on are good too. Toddler sized feeding utensils and plates and large coverall bibs are nice. Most moms end up with far too many useless drool bibs. Get the nylon short sleeved bibs for toddlers. Those WILL be used.

Go to Walmart or Target and get an outfit for each baby. You should be able to find something for less than $20. Sometimes if I think a baby already has a ton of clothes, I'll buy socks or a bib and hats. If it's a first baby, sometimes I add a book suitable to read to a baby. A favorite at our house was "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You".

Bibs, crib sheets, books. Target has multiple packs of bibs....the ones with plastic on the back for both teething and feeding. They get icky looking pretty quickly so they're always needed. Target also has cute crib sheets and you always need at least four in case of accidents. Books are always good. You can also get some small tub toys along with baby wash and shampoo and washcloths. Also Boudreau's butt paste is good for diaper rash, available at Target and probably Walmart.

Just to clarify, I don't and have never used a cloth diaper as a diaper. I used something like these as burp rags and clean up cloths all the time. This package would be enough to make all 3 cakes.

This package of bottles would cover all 3 cakes. So far we are just shy of 20 dollars for all three cakes.

These pacifiers are given by our hospital at birth. Little over 20 now for all 3 cakes.

This rattle is highly favored by all the babies I've seen and known, now you are at 30 dollars for all three.

Still leaves 30 bucks to throw in another trinket, maybe a package of baby spoons or make mommy gifts, etc.

you know what they need? not clothes, not diapers, but a promise of time...how about offering to babysit? and follow thru...

Don't buy onesies, one mom I nannied her second baby boy was huge and and he couldn't fit any at all and so they were useless and he went straight to large size ones. So don't buy tiny and her first son her church threw her a baby shower and she got all the way up two years old clothes and she loved that alot. I agree, don't buy things that they might nurse and the bottles are useless and not all use pacifiers and they have such fancy stuff out that mothers like using and so do their little ones. Books are a huge plus as they should read to them and those beautiful coloured pictures, if you know of a special childrens bookstore you can really find wonderful books or do gift certificate towards if you can't afford full prices. I used to when worked, bought a diaper bag but that was way back and filled it up with all kinds of goodies that were used then but many aren't nowadays.

Also think of seasonal clothing too, moms that go through those love the heavier blankets to use the warm sleepers for little ones to wear, and you can even think of winter ahead and hats that tie with ear flaps are great and warm.

Bibs, I just don't see them using them anymore at all.

What was so welcomed was those plastic type bigs with sleeves as they were great for painting and getting messy and taking those off and it wasn't such a huge mess.

Sippy cups are great, don't know what they have nowadays.

Toys are great, what alot love and ask for are toys for the bath and something for them to go in like a hanging bag to drip dry the toys.

They are all different prices but I bought for a friends grandson and I found them at a local toy store and got some that didn't cost a fortune and they did a gift bag plus tissue in it and it was great.

There are lots of things out there, don't have to be just concentrate on baby but think ahead and different ages like toddlers, preschoolers.

I do find where I live its hard to find things that used to be out there.

Some go together and buy something big.

I agree have heard that many new moms would love to be thought of too, something that would really help them out.

Make up meals for them all and bring them over to them to enjoy once you find out what they like to eat and don't like.

Help mom out by going over if you are good with babies and letting her have a break out or take the baby out for a walk and let her nap, laundry is constant as babies go thorugh lots and that is a huge help to go over and do laundry for how ever long you think it should be.

Or go out with her so she can get to appointments and hold the baby for her or shopping or any of that to relief her to be able to get those.

Another thing is my mother went and helped out with my brothers wive and she bought nursing bras and mosquito netting for the baby from mosquitoes and the nurse told alot of the things to get and my mother cooked up a storm so when she left, there was food when things got hard certain days and pulled it out as my brother didn't cook so that helped her alot.

And maybe when the baby is older, offer to look after so both parents can go out together.

kathy

I agree, head to Walmart and pick up some outfits, but make them a larger size for wear in about 6 months when the newborn stuff is outgrown. Do you know the babies sex? That would help greatly. if not stated on the invitation, call the host and ask.

You can always drop off diapers later on if you want.

OR make up a certificate for a meal to help out Mom when when they are home and getting no sleep.

I would go to a TJ Max or Marshalls. I imagine you already have your gifts, but Macy's has amazing deals, with sales and coupons. I no longer like the clothing there for myself, but the baby and children's departments are really good.

Another fun thing to organize is to buy a fancy pack of note cards. have each guest put advise or suggestions for the new mom. We did this at a shower for my boss, who was expecting twins, so advise was geared toward having two at once.

Good for you to stick to your budget.

I have a baby shower this weekend. I took one look at the list where the mother is registered and abandoned it. All big, expensive items. I didn't see any blankets or other small items, so I went to TJ Maxx and bought a beautiful, super-soft blanket, white-on-white with embossed hearts, a set of three lightweight flannel blankets, and a cute baby neck pillow for traveling. Total cost: $17.

The mother is related to me by marriage, so I added a couple of toys, and I plan to pick up the diapers today. I never heard of a diaper raffle before, but I guess it's popular.

No one uses bibs, really? The front of their clothes gets sopping wet when they are drooling....better a bib with plastic on the back...easier to change a bib than clothes.

I agree with Alisande and others, shop at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, or Ross. You can find really nice things there. Usually, I buy 12 month or older sizes as the smaller sizes are often so numerous that the baby won't ever have a chance to wear them. I like to knit or crochet baby shower gifts, but you don't have the time for 3 in one weekend. The other alternative is to join a group of friends for one group gift that is costly but since it is a shared cost, quite reasonable spending for each member of the group.

Just a side note to say I'm sorry that so few people use cloth diapers anymore. I used a service (25 years ago, but they're still available in cities, at least,) and it was all so easy. I also used diapers wet with warm water as wipes.

sjerin, Just an opinion, but I surely remember my mom's troubles with my sister's cloth diapers. Dirty diapers were harder (not impossible) to keep out of the way, kid getting stuck with diaper pin on occasion (by either the person changing the diaper or from moving around and a compromised pin), plastic covers and/or it seeping through... I just don't remember them being all that great? Wonder if it's being glamorized in your mind ;)

Jerin, I used cloth diapers because the early disposable diapers caused such bad rashes for my first born. So I just used them for the rest of the babies too. I used diaper services at first but eventually laundered my own diapers. Luckily where I lived was not in a drought then!

Actually, my daughter uses the cloth diapers. They are nothing like the old white diapers with pins. These have a little thick white insert and an outer shell that comes in very cute colors. They are pricey but she got hers from a friend.

What's wrong with cash? It's the perfect gift. Almost always gets used. Seldom if ever is returned. And unlike most everything else, one size fits all.

My gift baskets always contain Boudreaux's Butt Paste very best thing for a healthy bottom, cocoa butter Johnsons baby gel oil and lotion and cocoa butter Vaseline those can be used by baby and mommy and I add Aveeno lavender calming comfort baby wash. A few good quality burp cloths and some nipple cream for mommy if she is breast feeding. That is a nice gift bag or basket and it's not expensive.

Aveeno calming baby wash

Johnsons gel oil

Johnsons cocoa butter lotion

Boudreaux's Butt paste

Raven- thanks for reminding me!! One thing I ALWAYS include in my mommy gift is a tube of Lansinoh. With my first I was crying from the pain of cracked and bleeding nipples until someone gave me some Lansinoh. It wasn't even 24 hours later and I was no longer in pain.

A little goes a LONG way, I think I went through one tube for 2 children. It seems pricey at about 10 bucks a tube but it lasts forever and can be used for many things outside of breastfeeding.

When my kids got diaper rash I used it and the rash cleared up within a day or two. Hubby had a bad case of heat rash and I told him to try it, he was cleared up in a few days.

Basically any skin irritation we have had has been treated using Lansinoh. With my last the hospital gave me several samples of medela lanolin. I tried it for about a week but it just wasn't doing anything. Finally begged my hubby to go get me Lansinoh and the relief was almost immediate.

Yes those are things that most people don't think about getting and I guarantee you each one will be used and appreciated. I never had babies but my sisters did and I learned their favorite products. I keep some Boudreaux's Butt Paste here at all times its so good for so many things other than diaper rash much like the nipple cream. I have right now in my bathroom each of the items I listed except for the nipple cream and I use them all. I love to put the gel oil on straight from the shower while wet it seals the moisture in and smells so good.

DD married a young man from Louisiana, so at her baby shower, I made sure to give her some Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I think the name is so funny.

Hi Sheila Joyce (and others),

Maybe send an email to Boudreaux, suggesting a name change/update/improvement(?) to Boudreaux's Butt Butter?

o j

I used cloth diapers with two of my babies. My last baby got a rash with the cloth so I got disposable. Loved them. Too old to worry about it any more...but I would never use cloth again.

I have had a lot of friends and family that have had babies this past year. They all use bibs....who would want to have cute little outfits that are all stained.

Bibs would be good gifts.

I like to make baby size quilts. The last shower I went to I made simple squares for the quilts. You can get soft silky fabric for the backing.

I bought a soft baby doll and made a matching quilt doll size.

Grace is 4 now and she still plays with her dolls and the quilt.

pattico_gw....i love a handmade gift. Attended two baby showers this weekend and the homemade quilts were the hit.

\

I attended two, sent a gift to one and it was fine. I had gifted one of the Mothers with a glider rocker and hoped she'd mention it and she did not but I gave it because I knew she would enjoy it. One of my adult kids pointed out that I don't need validation on my life